Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley, and Nick Chubb have all been impacted by major injuries. Derrick Henry, Ezekiel Elliott, and Josh Jacobs have all been plagued by inconsistency. Fantasy Football owners may be looking for options at the running back position.

With issues nearly across the board for some of the preseasons biggest names at a notoriously thin position group, the chances are, unless you drafted Alvin Kamara or Dalvin Cook, your Fantasy Football team’s running back group could use a bit of help. 

But in a world with so few consistently productive running backs and so many Fantasy Football managers on the hunt for one player they can count on for a solid point total, how do you get ahead of the group? By looking for sleepers, of course. The boom or bust guys beyond the headline grabbers that can end up pushing you over the finish line — if only for one week.

But with the Fantasy Football playoffs set to begin in a few weeks in most leagues, now more than ever it is important to get the best roster available to fight for the last playoff spot — and that’s where this article comes into play.

With few options across the waiver wire, here are three guys that could be available in your league that are worth a Week 10 start — even if some of them are high-risk, high-reward plays.

Kalen Ballage, LAC (Rostered in 0.3% of ESPN Leagues)

When all else fails, roll with the Los Angeles Chargers running back that isn’t Josh Kelley. 

This week, that honor will most likely fall to Kalen Ballage, a third-year player from Arizona State who hopes to be the next in line to escape the death sentence of an Adam Gase offense. And in his first game with the Chargers, away from the clutches of Gase, Ballage put together a surprisingly solid showing.

Los Angeles is a team that isn’t shy about leaning on its running backs, both in the ground game and through the air. And despite a plethora of injuries at the position, starting with Austin Ekeler and working down to Justin Jackson and Troymaine Pope, the team has not shied away from that identity, giving Ballage 15 carries in his first game with the team.

What Ballage did with those 15 carries should inspire some hope in Fantasy Football managers looking for a stop-gap player to plug in for the week. Ballage got more carries in the offense than his backfield counterpart in Kelley (15 carries to Kelley’s nine) and did a lot more with those opportunities, turning his time to shine in the offense into 69 yards on the ground and added a rushing touchdown for good measure.

Add onto Ballage’s Chargers debut two catches for 15 yards, and all told, the former Sun Devil totaled 16.4 points in full PPR leagues. But even with the sparkling debut, rolling the dice on Ballage remains a gamble with some high-risk potential. Despite Ballage’s big day, the running back was demoted back to the practice squad as of Monday.

The news of Ballage’s demotion might scare off a fair share of running back hungry managers, but there’s no guarantee that the newest Chargers running back won’t find himself back in the rotation for his team’s Week 10 game. And if he does, he’s already proven he can be an efficient runner with a nose for the endzone.

Expect Ballage to be a deep sleeper this week. But if you’re in a gambling mood, this pickup could pay off big.

J.K. Dobbins, BAL (Rostered in 76.2% of ESPN Leagues)

Dobbins isn’t anywhere near the sleeper that Ballage is, but if yours is one of the nearly 25% of leagues where Dobbins remains unrostered, do the right thing and pick him up as soon as you can.

Because not only can Dobbins prove to be a valuable stash moving forward in the season, he could be primed for a massive game in Week 10 against the New England Patriots. The Patriots, typically known for stout defensive play, have been anything but during the 2020 season, and are in the middle of a four-game stretch where they’ve allowed over 130 yards on the ground in three of those games, and over 190 in two of them.

Enter, the Baltimore Ravens. One of the league’s strongest running teams, who have recently been relying more and more on the efforts of Dobbins, who has 27 carries and 143 yards on the ground over his teams last two games — both against strong run defenses in the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts.

Compared to the challenges faced in his last two games, Dobbins’ matchup against the Patriots could be a breeze. And based on the recent performances of New England, the Ravens might run ahead early and keep the ball on the ground even more than usual. Snatch up Dobbins if you can.

Ryan Nall (Rostered in 0.1% of ESPN Leagues)

Look, I just… I just need you to trust me. Okay? Can you do that? 

Okay, I get it. Ryan Nall is stuck on one of the worst offenses in the NFL. Nall has recorded more penalties in his career (three) than he has rushing attempts (two). Ryan Nall, with Tarik Cohen out, was beaten by wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson for the backup job in the Bears backfield. I get all that, but, Ryan Nall is also set up for a sneaky good day in Week 10.

Granted, all this is based on the availability of Chicago’s starting running back David Montgomery, who exited the game early in Week 9 and was placed into concussion protocol. If Montgomery can’t get on the field for the Bears’ Week 10 game against Minnesota, expect a heavy dose of Nall — Chicago’s answer to James White on the Patriots.

Nall didn’t record a carry against the Titans in Week 9, much like he hasn’t recorded a carry all season. But what Ryan Nall did do in the absence of Montgomery, was became a reliable pass-catcher out of the backfield, totaling four catches for 35 yards and a touchdown — all after Montgomery left the game.

Nall quickly turned into a safety valve for Nick Foles in the Bears’ passing game (what a horrible sentence that must be for Bears fans to read), and could be in line for more targets in what could be a competitive game against a recently exciting Minnesota Vikings team.

Patterson could be a threat to take away from Nall’s ceiling as a receiver, but even if he does, Nall presents more value as a traditional running back than Patterson– who is rarely ever used in the running game. Between a solid floor as a pass-catcher, and some newfound opportunity as a runner, Ryan Nall might find himself as a solid Fantasy Football flex play for Week 10.